


The Hiatus

by twenty_one_pilots_fan



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Abandonment, Angst, Arguing, Band Break Up, Cancer, Depression, Despair, Giving Up, Post-Divorce, Suicidal Thoughts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-19
Updated: 2017-10-19
Packaged: 2019-01-19 09:38:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12407844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twenty_one_pilots_fan/pseuds/twenty_one_pilots_fan
Summary: What if Josh refused to go on the hiatus and quit the band instead?





	The Hiatus

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this instead of studying ;)

"What do you mean you want to go on a hiatus, Tyler?" Josh asked. "It's bad enough that you won't let us go to award shows or accept every invitation to perform that is offered to us, but now you want us to disappear for an entire year?"

Tyler tried to defend himself, but Josh wouldn't let him speak. He said, "Look. This isn't working out anymore. I need to join a new band, and work with people who are willing to take every opportunity handed to them." Josh continued, "We were given the chance to perform in the Ohio State stadium Tyler, and you turned it down! Do you know how many people can fit in that stadium? Over a 100,000! That's five times the size of Madison Square Garden, Tyler! Accepting that show could have skyrocketed our fame even more, but did you want that? No, of course not! We're already too famous for your liking, and I've had enough! You won't talk to other celebrities to try to get your name out there more, and I'm sick of it! It's like you don't even care anymore. You're not hungry for success like you used to be, or feeling the need to prove yourself any longer. I need to work with people that inspire me, that fuel my drive, and cause me to work harder. You used to motivate me, but you don't anymore. I'm sorry Tyler, I have to move on now."

Tyler watched with glistening eyes as Josh turned his back on him, and walked out of the Waffle House. He didn't even get the chance to tell Josh why he needed some time off. He put a fifty dollar bill on the table and stood up. He knew he was overpaying, but wanted the waitress to have a great day, even if he couldn't.

Ever since Jenna cheated on him and filed for a divorce, his life was just one catastrophe after another. Josh's abandonment was just another to add to the ever-growing list, and Tyler couldn't even say he was surprised. After years of disappointment, he had come to expect people to let him down. He always knew in the back of his mind that he wasn't worth sticking around for, so he was rarely surprised when people deserted him.

One person that he knew he could always count on though, was his brother Zack. He knew that Zack was the only person who would never leave him, who would always be there for him. They had been the best of friends since childhood, and had gotten even closer as they grew older. He needed someone to vent to after the day he'd had, and he knew Zack wouldn't mind him coming over unannounced.

He rang the doorbell on the house of Zack and Tatum, and tapped his foot as he waited for Zack to answer the door. He was aware that Zack would be home today, since he didn't have a school assembly for his new business "The Joseph Company" to attend today. Tyler was extremely proud of Zack and Tatum for creating a fundraising company that would help raise money for schools and churches, but with items that people would actually want to buy, such as beautiful flowers.

Just as Tyler was about to ring the doorbell a second time, the door swung open, and he saw the surprised face of his younger brother. Zack raised an eyebrow and said, "Hey bro! What are you doing here?"

As Zack ushered him inside the house and into his sitting room, Tyler told Zack about his awful day.

"So let me get this straight: You asked for a little break, and Josh just blew up at you and quit the band?!" Zack questioned incredulously.

"Basically. I mean, I figured he would leave me at some point. He's an awesome drummer, and deserves better than I can give him. He has a ton of famous friends, he'll probably have a new band and an album out in the next month," Tyler stated glumly.

Zack stared at Tyler and said, "How could you say that about yourself Tyler? You're the best singer, performer, and lyricist that Josh could ever hope to work with. He's an idiot to quit twenty one pilots, and he'll figure that out soon enough. Don't get so down on yourself, okay? I know the last few months have been hard, but that doesn't mean nobody cares about you. Tatum cares about you, so do Maddy and Jay, and mom and dad. I care about you Tyler. So much. Don't let this turn into a depression again alright Tyler? I'm here for you, all you have to do is ask, okay?"

Tyler nodded, and asked, "Can I stay here for a bit? I don't want to go home right now. It feels so big and empty without Jenna there..."

"Of course you can," Zack stated sympathetically. For the first time in a while, Zack looked at his older brother, really looked. And what he saw shocked him to the core. He noticed how pale Tyler looked, and that he had bags under his eyes. He didn't look like he'd been sleeping, or eating for that matter. He looked extremely thin, and this alerted Zack to how serious the situation might be. The last time Tyler was going through an extreme depressive episode, he was also pale and tired looking, but even back then he had not looked nearly as thin as he was now.

"Tyler, I am going to ask you something, and I need you to be honest with me. Have you been coping alright since Jenna left you?"

Tyler nodded once, and said "Yes, I've been doing fine on my own."

"Look, you don't need to lie to me." Zack shook his head and continued, "I know I haven't been the best brother recently, but I swear that's going to change. I've been super busy with the new business and getting ready for the baby, but I know that I shouldn't make excuses. I love you so much, and making sure that you're okay is going to be my number one priority."

"No, I don't need anything from you, I just want a place to stay for awhile. Your priority should be your job and your pregnant wife," Tyler said with wide eyes.

"I'm not going to sugar-coat this, man," Zack answered carefully, "You look terrible. The worst I've seen you look in five years actually. You need to be taken care of for awhile, and I am happy to do it."

Tyler didn't have any words that would do justice to the kind way his brother had just spoken to him, and found that he was having trouble keeping his emotions in check. He hadn't let himself cry when Jenna left him, he had kept it all bottled up inside. It seemed that now, with his band falling apart, the only thing he had ever been proud of himself for, he couldn't stop his emotions from escaping any longer. He let Zack hold him as he sobbed and sobbed, and then let Zack tuck him into the bed in the guestroom, like a child. Tyler didn't mind though, he was just happy to be cared for and wanted.

* * *

 

The days passed quickly, and before he knew it, he had been living at Zack's house for almost three weeks. He spent his days mostly in his room writing poems, since getting his thoughts on paper was how he stayed sane. He knew that he would never turn these poems into songs though, because that would be too painful. He had no intention of ever putting out an album without Josh, so there was no reason to turn his poems into songs, the poems helped Tyler just fine on their own. This music was for him and him alone, and he was content with that. If he wasn't writing, he was downstairs with Zack and sometimes Tatum was there too. They would watch movies together at night and enjoy each other's company. Tatum's belly was getting bigger and bigger by the day, and he couldn't wait to meet their baby girl.

Tyler woke up one morning, and knew that he had stalled too long already. He needed to tell Zack and Tatum the truth, and tell them quickly. Maybe then he would be able to do what needed to be done. He walked into the kitchen and saw that he was up before Zack, which was odd, since Zack is usually an early riser, and it was already ten in the morning. He shrugged and got out a box of Waffle Crisp from the pantry. As he sat down to eat his breakfast, Zack walked in with his hair mussed and some stubble on his face. Usually stubble made Zack look better, but today Zack just looked unkempt.

"You alright bro?" Tyler asked.

Zack nodded, but didn't offer any additional information.

"Okay..." Tyler answered hesitantly. "Listen, tonight can I talk to you and Tatum about something? It's really important, and I need your advice".

Zack snapped his head up at this so fast that Tyler was worried he might get whiplash. "Advice? You need my advice? Well I'd advise you to get the fuck out of my house!" Zack screeched. "You've been living in my house for almost a month, and eating the food that I paid for, without even offering to pitch in! I've got a heavily pregnant wife, the least you could do is offer to do the dishes once in awhile! But have you even once? Of course not! You just lock yourself in your room all day, doing goodness knows what, and only leave to eat Tatum's cooking after she's worked all day, and you don't even have the decency to thank her or ask her if she needs help with anything for the baby, your future niece!"

Zack was breathing heavily at this point, but looked at Tyler and said, "But that ends now. I want you out of our house. You have stayed long enough, and I don't want you here anymore. We never expected you to stay this long, and Tatum's been telling me to hold back on kicking you out, to give you a little more time since we know you've been struggling recently, but this has gone on long enough. We've let you stay here for free, and eat our food for free, but you're a freaking millionaire Tyler! You could give us some money out of gratitude, especially since we're going to have a baby in five months and we've been doing you the favor! But would you ever think to do that? No, because you never think of anyone but yourself. Gosh, you're so selfish, Tyler, sometimes you surprise even me."

Tyler couldn't believe what he was hearing. He'd come to expect these scathing words out of the mouths of other people, but he never expected them out of Zack's. Suddenly he was overcome with such mortification that he could hardly breathe. The thought of helping around the house hadn't even occurred to him, and he hadn't realized that he'd been over-staying his welcome either. He would have helped in an instant if he had been asked to, it's just that he never spared a single thought on household chores. Bitter shame welled up inside him, and he apologized profusely to Zack, who scoffed, and pointed at the door.

Tyler stayed firm and said, "I'll be out of your hair soon, but I just want you to know that none of this was intentional. I never wanted to impose on you or Tatum, and I definitely never wanted to be a burden on you guys." Zack was silent, so Tyler continued, "And about the money, are you having money troubles? Because it's no problem, I have a lot of cash with me, I can give you whatever you need. I didn't think about the stress you both must be feeling, what with just starting a new business and a baby on the way. I'm sorry for not being more sensitive to your problems. You're right, I've only been thinking about myself recently, and I hope one day you can forgive me. I never meant to make life harder on you and Tatum, I swear. And I hope you know how grateful I am for you both letting me into your home for so long. I never meant to cause any problems, I love you both too much."

Tyler quickly wiped away one lone tear that betrayed the heartbreak he was so desperately trying to hide from his little brother, the only one he had ever felt completely at ease with, the only one he ever felt completely trusting towards. He took out his wallet and counted out the bills until he was at $200,000. And before Zack could say anything, Tyler grabbed his jacket and took off into the night, ready to brave the cold streets of Ohio all on his own.

* * *

 

Tyler walked slowly around the city of Columbus, and contemplated the life he'd lived. His best moments and his worst moments had all occurred in this very city, and he was feeling pretty nostalgic. He passed by The Newport, and felt a rush of sadness, at the realization that he would never again play a show, and definitely not at the promised land ever again. He walked further and further, and kept seeing places that meant so much to him, and he finally couldn't take it anymore. He broke down on the sidewalk outside of the Polaris mall, and made the quick decision to call a cab. This city held too many memories for him, too many ghosts. He had felt lost and depressed in Columbus too many times to count, but he had never felt as hopeless as he did right then. He suddenly needed to be anywhere but Columbus, anywhere but the place where his brother kicked him out, his best friend and bandmate discarded him, and his wife cheated on him and divorced him like he was nothing. Maybe he was nothing, maybe that's why every important person in his life always left him.

The cab pulled up after ten minutes, and Tyler was on his way to the John Glenn Columbus International Airport. He made it clear to the cab driver that he wasn't interested in small talk, and was free to think about where he should go. He had been all over the world, but there was only one place he could ever see himself living in besides Ohio, and that was Australia. So he got his ticket, and was in the waiting area for the plane in no time, since he didn't have any bags to check. As he was waiting, he looked at his phone and saw that Zack was calling him.

He took a deep breath and answered the call. Zack was talking so fast that Tyler could hardly understand him. He could only make out little phrases such as, "-so sorry", "-an asshole", "-money", "-need advice for?", and "-hurt you".

Tyler was a little confused, but he got the gist of what Zack was trying to say to him. Tyler quickly assured Zack, "There's nothing you need to apologize for. It was wrong of me to stay so long at your house without asking if it was okay or offering to help in some way. You weren't an asshole, and I don't need that money I gave you. I want you to have it, especially if it will give you one less thing to worry about. You did hurt me, but it's fine. I understand why you had to kick me out, and you were right to. I never would have left on my own, so it's good you forced me to, really. And don't worry about the advice anymore, I've got it all sorted out. I don't need your opinion or Tatum's any longer, I've made my own decision.

Zack tried to get Tyler to share more with him about what was going on, and why Tyler needed his advice originally, but Tyler was close-lipped. Zack eventually gave up, and Tyler was left to his thoughts.

The truth was that Tyler had been diagnosed with four types of cancer two months ago, and didn't know what to do about it. He was told by a stern doctor that he had brain cancer, lung cancer, osteosarcoma, and leukemia. Tyler knew he hadn't been feeling well, but was pushing off a doctor's visit until the end of the tour. In that time, his cancer had spread rapidly because his stage four cancer was aggressive, and he was only given a 15% chance to live.

His cancer diagnosis was the reason he had wanted to go on a hiatus from twenty one pilots, but Josh hadn't given him a chance to explain, and Tyler wasn't sure he would've been able to tell Josh the truth about his sickness even if he had stuck around long enough to listen.

His life had been an utter nightmare recently, and he wasn't sure which course of action to take. He could get treated in Ohio close to his family, or he could travel to California or New York, where the doctors and hospitals are better. He wanted Zack's opinion and Tatum's opinion on what he should do, but after being kicked out by Zack, he decided he didn't want any treatment at all. His life had been an utter nightmare recently, and he didn't want to live at all. He was only given a 15% chance at life, and his life wasn't worth the pain of the cancer treatment, especially since his chances of recovering were so slim.

Tyler was broken out of his dark musings when first class boarding was announced. Tyler then stood, ready to live the rest of his short life in Australia, away from his family, and away from any hope of salvation. The other passengers didn't know it, but Tyler Joseph was a walking dead man.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked it!


End file.
